Main Cast: Kirk Douglas, Agostina Belli, Simon Ward, Anthony Quayle, Virginia McKenna
Release Year: 1978
Country: UK/IT
Run Time: 102 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
Robert Caine (Kirk Douglas) is a wealthy and powerful industrialist, an engineer who develops nuclear power plants. A true believer in nuclear energy, he plans to make nuclear generation commonplace around the world. He is about to retire and turn over the running of his corporations to his son, Angel Caine (Simon Ward) when he begins having disturbing dreams. In one of these, the vision of the Apocalypse as spoken of in the Biblical book of Revelations comes to life in a horrifying way. After this, he begins to notice that his son is behaving in ways which identify him with the Antichrist. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
Review
This Italian riff on The Omen won't get points for originality but offers some creepy fun for fans of Euro-horror. The script is built on a mixture of biblical prophecy and creative death setpieces that apes its model in a pretty obvious style but it also throws in offbeat elements to keep things interesting, like the additions of political/corporate intrigue and the way the storyline cleverly plays on unspoken fears of nuclear energy and unrest in the Middle East. The end result is as much a soap opera and a conspiracy thriller as it is a horror film and this multi-genre aspect adds to the fun of watching it. The Chosen also benefits from an old-fashioned star performance by Kirk Douglas, who digs into the script with total conviction and never condescends to the material. His star turn is supported nicely by a deftly underplayed performance from Simon Ward as his mysterious son. The Chosen is also confidently directed by Alberto De Martino, who gives the film a glossy touch during the non-horror moments but brings plenty of verve to the shocks: his best moment is a nightmare sequence in which Douglas hallucinates the nuclear plant he is working on rising from the sea and transforming into a multi-headed hydra. In short, The Chosen might be a knockoff but it's a knockoff of the best kind -- one with energy, style and a few bizarre ideas of its own. As a result, it's worth a look to the Euro-cult audience. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
